Five years ago two volunteers began to work on the Gorilla Highlands idea. It would grow into something quite unexpected…
At the very start our ambitions were humble. We wanted to put together a booklet and a website to promote a spectacular part of Africa. That led to an interactive book about southwestern Uganda that won a World Summit Award in 2013.
The social enterprise that initiated Gorilla Highlands, Edirisa, ran hiking and canoeing trips on Lake Bunyonyi. It felt wrong to exclusively advertise these activities in the ebook, so we extended the routes to Kisoro Town where Nkuringo Walking Safaris operated from. That was the beginning of the Gorilla Highlands Trails system that now covers most of southwestern Uganda. There are different accommodation solutions available, however, camping with rural families is the main option, providing a source of income and pride to the local population.
The idea of Gorilla Highlands has always been about the private sector working together but in 2014-2015 we received a governmental boost. We were included in a UNDP/WTO/UTB project “Support for Development of Inclusive Markets in Tourism” that focused on pro-poor tourism. That helped us prepare a familiarisation trip for Kampala-based tour operators, a press trip for foreign correspondents, the first Gorilla Highlands Silverchef cooking competition and more.
In 2015 the name “Gorilla Highlands” first appeared on maps produced by Andrew Roberts (Uganda Maps), helping our push to brand the region and make it a destination.
Finally, in May 2016 we are about to launch the next version of the Gorilla Highlands Video Map and organise the second Silverchef. We are working on this website becoming a place to book all kinds of activities, and are close to adding Rwanda’s Musanze to our coverage of southwestern Uganda.
Let the next 5 years be as busy and exciting!
📸 photography by:
Josh Hamby left his mark on the Gorilla Highlands as a volunteer drone videographer in 2016, capturing footage that continues to promote our region. He lived in Uganda from 2012 to 2017 and still returns every few years. Josh — now a husband and a father — also runs a construction company and consults for churches and individuals on sustainable development in West Texas, USA. [bio updated: 2026-04]
Marcus Westberg is a multiple award-winning photographer and writer from Sweden whose work — covering conservation, wildlife and travel — appears regularly in several global publications. He has made several trips to our region specifically to volunteer for Gorilla Highlands Experts. When not globetrotting, Marcus lives with his wife and daughter close to Lisbon, Portugal. Click for our interview with Marcus. [bio updated: 2026-03]
🖋️ text by:
ML Rwebandira — formerly known as Miha Logar — is an adventure and cultural tourism expert, writer and multimedia producer who co-founded Gorilla Highlands Experts. His most recent publication is the Pocket Treasure. A national of both Uganda and Slovenia, ML resides with his son Lan in Musanze, Rwanda. Click for his personality-infused quarterly newsletters. [bio updated: 2026-05]